Sho-Ka-Wah Casino
A few miles east of Hopland on CA Hwy 175, just before it gets all twisty as it climbs over the mountain, the Sho-Ka-Wah casino is perched pleasantly on the upslope of the hill. Originally built around bingo, the Sho-Ka-Wah has expanded in its limited space to fill in quite nicely with a decent showing of table games (blackjack, Let It Ride, and the like), a nice bar, a decent but small "steakhouse", and a small but serviceable poker "room". The casino really is a friendly and upbeat place. As you travel the long driveway from SR 175 to the casino's parking lot, they've set up little burma-shave-style signs that tempt you with descriptions of the pleasures to come: "Loose Slots! We're Game!". And right towards the start is a little sign that makes our hearts go pitter-pat: Games Limit hold 'em: 3/6 with a full kill]. Killer acts last in the preflop betting round unless the bet has been raised prior to getting to the killer's position, in which case they act in turn. No-limit hold 'em: 2/5 blinds, 50-200 buyin. Rake is taken post-flop: $3+$1 jackpot for games with 6 or more players. $2+$1 for games with 5 or fewer players. An extra dollar of rake is taken from kill pots. No flop, no drop. Game Character: Typical small-casino poker crowds: an occasional semi-skilled player, some super-aggressive ("move in specialist") types, loose passive types, and some calling stations. Posting: New players do not need to post. Shuffling: All tables are hand-shuffled. Wait Time: Varies from time to time, since there is often only one cash game going on. Wait can be from 0-60 minutes. They will announce your name over the casino PA when you get called for a spot, but the PA is a bit crackly and hard to hear, so if you can make out "poker" amidst the static, you'd best go check. Tournaments * Daily NLHE tournaments at 5:30pm. * Sun 5:30pm $10+$5 NLHE. Unlimited $10 rb, $20 ao. * Mon 5:30pm $50+$5 NLHE. Unlimited $25 rb, $25 ao. * Occasional special satellites Jackpots and Promotions * Bad Beat Jackpot: AAAJJ or better beaten = $24000 or more (progressive) * High Hand of the Week = $100 Atmosphere The poker area at Sho-Ka-Wah is nicely removed, despite being only behind a half-wall. The din of the slot machines is definitely present, but is not overwhelming, as the poker tables are closer to the snack bar than the slot machine hordes. A large TV is tuned to the big sports game of the day, and the area is nicely lit, making it easy to see cards and players. They even have nice tournament-running software that they show on the TV during tourneys that shows the clock, player count, blinds, etc. The casino itself was built around the concept of bingo and has only recently begun to shed that image. The western half of the building is still a large bingo hall, but it is only in use during "bingo hours" now and is often lying completely empty. Neighborhood: Fairly remote yet not that far from Hopland (a small town) or US 101 itself (only about three miles west). There are no houses or other businesses visible nearby (though a few are there if you know where to look), merely fields of brush and grass. The casino lies in the middle of the Indian reservation itself, but the terrain is steep enough that this isn't exactly a "neighborhood". There are other driveways leading off to houses of reservation residents, though it's not easy to see them. Parking: Moderate amount of parking. Surely enough to handle the possible number of people: probably around 100 spaces or so. Tables and Chairs: Large 9-seat tables with clean felt and nice vinyl. Chairs are comfy and extra-large fixed-leg cloth-covered padded chairs. For tournaments, they squeeze 11 chairs around a table and play 11-handed. Service and Comps Occasional wandering cocktail waitresses. Links and Notes * MarkT visited in September 2006. * Closest competitor is either Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino in Nice, or Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport.